Their Story Begins
by jjflap2
Summary: Abel can't seem to get much right at 16...but when he gets in a brawl , someone steps up with the truth...and takes his heart at the same time !
1. Chapter 1

Sheriff Wesley Gartlan glanced at Abel , who was handcuffed to the bench nearby. It didn't seem right, but drunk and angry as he was, it wasn't exactly safe for him to be amongst the others in the holding tank.

"What's with the Teller kid now ?"

Toni, at dispatch desk was well aquainted with Abel's antics, but hadn't taken the call before her shift.

" Drunk and fighting at the mall out on 30. Busted another kids face n made a mess in the food court. Security don't want him out there anymore!"

" He stinks t high heaven, and it's not beer either !" She noted, as she passed by him a few minutes ago. She'd witnessed Abel drunk before, but those times he'd smelled like a brewery. This time he reeked mostly of whiskey. And he wasn't the usually happy drunk either.

" Yep, it's shine, and whatever else they got their hands on...I got his Mom on the phone, she oughta be showing up pretty soon. This kids ok on beer, but he's a little shit drinking anything else...gonna be a mean drunk when he grows up..." The Sheriff finished his report just in time to see Mrs Teller approaching the front desk.

" Hello Wes..."

Tara smiled at him.

" Mrs Teller...is Jax on his way? Looks like your boy out there got into it with some other kids at the Mall. Seems like their security got a legal no trespassing notice served on em too. Were you made aware of that ?"

Tara was watching their eldest son, half asleep on the bench. His bloody shirt was ripped, his face was bruised, puffy , and a small angry cut was scabbing above his eye. He looked angry, even as he slept. He'll be sixteen next month she was thinking. Was his behavior going to get worse ? The no trespassing notice got her attention.

" What ? No...when was that issued?" She remembered some of her own illegal activities when she and Jax were in school, and knew what it was. Obviously she wasn't that aware of or involved with what went on in Abel's life...this was so frustrating. Why were boys such a pain in the ass at this age?

Substance abuse and teens

Youth Alcohol services

AA and the adolescent

These were just a few of the pamphlets Tara looked over as Wesley continued.

" I think this would be a safe direction for him, Jax- when we get involved, and it's a chance your boy will continue using, his family won't have much say in the matter. So I want you to consider getting support for him and yourselves. We're at the point of doing him harm when we rescue him like this."

She was remembering back when she and Jax were in highschool. Wasn't this just something all kids went through? She'd managed to focus on her studies, and party, right? Then she realized the challenges Abel faced with his learning disabilities. But wasn't his guidance counselor helping enough with that? Both she and Jax thought the program everyone agreed on was supposed to help ...so why was their son acting out this way?

With a sigh, she glanced at her husband. At times like these, even after Charming, he was impossible to read, emotionally. When he shut down like this, the end result was a verbal skirmish between them. She hated ambushing him sometimes, but when it came to the kids, there seemed no other choice.

No one spoke for a while. Tara sat next to their eldest son, as he leaned against the half open window, and watched as his blonde hair whipped with the wind.

He's almost a replica of Jax at that age, she thought in amazement, reaching across and gently touching his cheek. This gesture was reserved for what Abel always called " those mother-son moments" as he would recoil back with a smirk. " Not the tissue n spit thing Mom ! " He'd plead with a grin, hands held up in defense. When the boys were small, she was always fussing with their hair, or face or something...

Jax caught her concern in the rear view mirror.

" He can't handle liquor..." He said to her.

" That's a shrewd observation !" She answered , not looking .

" No, I mean he CANT handle it...his chemistry won't work with it the way it does with beer. We dealt with one of those back in Charming, at the Club. Prospect was ok as long as he didn't drink any hard stuff, and when he did , he was an insufferable shit head !"

Tara had forgotten that fact. It must have alot to do with Wendy and her substance abuse issues when she was pregnant with Abel. Heroin, Crack, or booze...it didn't matter to his birth mother at the time...she'd completely forgotten that, along with Gemmas attitude towards her...the question now was ...what do they need to do to help Abel ?


	2. Chapter 2

Tommy woke to the sounds of his brother retching ...thru his half sleep fog, he suddenly smelled the stink of vomit, and stumbled out of the room, trying not to gag.

Tara looked up from her coffee.

" Is your brother awake?" She asked, already knowing. Jax was watching too, over his company laptop.

His head still pounding, Abel finished the brakes on the mini van, replaced the belt , and changed the oil. He enjoyed working on it, or anything mechanical, but the fact it was a minivan somehow embarrassed him. Mom needs something cool, n fast, he thought, as he struggled with his next project, their ancient riding mower, and it's seized blades. Taking it apart then reassembling wasn't a problem, but more of a chore for him, and he felt calmly focused .

Abel was cutting the edge of the backyard when he noticed someone talking with his mom near the bonfire pit...

" I've got his cell phone, and backpack, Mrs Teller, I was there when things got crazy "

Megan lifted his worn book bag from her bike.

" It wasn't his fault either, I saw it happen !"

Tara seemed to remember a younger version of this attractive young woman. It had something to do with a broken ankle and ice skating a few years back, when she was working in the ER.

There seemed a pleasantness about her that she instinctively liked.

" We learned all about it down at the sheriffs office last night...is it Megan? " Tara enquired, not wanting to discuss that. The girl nodded , smiling back.

" That's fine, but if you need me as a witness, I'm good. Im afraid I don't know your son very well tho...but I'd like to see how he's doing, and give him his phone ...he's in my English Literature class "

Tara noticed the mower was still running, and Abel was on it, but it wasn't moving.

" He's right over there, sweetie, I'm sure he'd be glad to meet you..."

Megan smiled back and walked towards the back yard.

Abel riffled through his backpack while they both sat at a weathered picnic table by the bonfire pit.

" Alot of them will back you up, because Billy Tabshaw jumped you. I tried to tell your mom that, but I don't think she wants to talk about it."

Megan shared, studying his eyes. They were the bluest she'd ever seen.

He looked up, and noticed the sunlight shining in her hair. The red highlights almost shined back, and if that wasn't distracting enough, he could almost taste whatever scent she was wearing ...he experienced alot of the local ratchets, and Mrs Fraze, the milf on Creed's Mill Rd...but this wasn't the same. It penetrated him thru his heart, and groin, leaving him nervous and excited all at once. This wasn't the smell of sex like he knew...it was stronger and ... well, he thought...scary...but in a good way...

" I don't remember that.." he found his phone.

" I don't remember anything...me and Skeeter were up at the quarry getting drunk!"

Looking in his eyes, Megan felt he was being honest, and wondered if he had blacked out. Rumor was the boys got a jar of " shine " from that family up by Parkers Creek.

A banner scrolled across the screen.

"Service suspended untill further notice...

Love, Mom and Dad "

" Fuk it " he half smiled, tossing it aside.

" What ?" She was watching his smile, then dug out a package of bubba gum. " U want some ?"

His face turned pink. " I never learned to blow bubbles.." he confessed, accepting the purple square.

" Seriously? " She laughed, gently touching his arm, giving him a pleasant chill.

They were talking about a book on their assignment list for English, THE MIRACLE WORKER.

" That's made up shit, right ?", he asked , working the gum into a soft wad . I wonder if she tastes as sweet as this he asked himself.

" No way, it's a true story...she contacted scarlet fever when she was about two years old, and went deaf and blind. Have you read any of it?"

Not wanting to get all involved with his disability, he shrugged it off at first, but suddenly changed his mind.

" I can't read like u can.." he avoided her eyes for a few seconds.

" Oh..." She said, " Are you dyslexic? My dad was too, sometimes he'd ask me to read to him. Have you tried something like that?"

He was looking right into her eyes now. If he was feeling embarrassed, that was gone...

" I'll ask Mrs Brewer then...I guess you wouldn't be interested in testing the idea with me would you ?"

Megan watched him smile. " Sure , but you gotta blow me some bubbles first "

I'm not gonna make this easy , she grinned inside. He has cute blonde whiskers too, and that mustache wont get too much gum in it!

Abel slid the book towards her. I'm fuked he thought, but the prospect of listening to her voice obliterated any fear.

"Can you at least show me how you do it?"

" Oh my God... pay close attention to my tongue and lips, it's simple...!" She leaned closer, as Abel did the same. He gently breathed in, and fought the impulse to kiss her.

As he watched her tongue and lips, his insides began to quiver.

" She's the one! " was all he could think , over and over again.


	3. Chapter 3

The text message simply commanded him to " come inside immediately "

That proved difficult, after noticing the lawn unmowed, and his son sitting with some young female next to the bonfire pit. While she seemed to catch his glance as he walked towards the house, Abel remained oblivious, and it was only his wife's request that kept Jax from interupting his sons break from work.

" Will you stop focusing on his jobs, and look at him?" Tara was frustrated. " He's happy...I haven't seen him like this for the past six months, and I don't think it's fair right now to deprive him of it "

Her husband was watching them from the window, as Tara blocked his way to the back door. True, he thought, Abel was looking happier than he'd been for awhile, but that wasn't an excuse to blow off his work.

" She's gotta go home, Tara. He can hook up on his own time, and I've had to kick his butt over this before. We can't back down, or it's gonna get worse and we'll loose him !" He hated being the bad guy in a situation like this, because Tara was usually the one who disapproved of the " bitches " Abel ended up with. Her attitude today caught him by surprise.

" Em, take these out to your brother " she instructed the 7 year old, handing her two cans of pop. As she skipped outside, she faced Jax defiantly.

Emily Teller almost adored her oldest brother. True, he would tease her sometimes, but most of the time he was easygoing. Her other brother, Tommy, was awful, and once, when he made her cry, Abel beat him up. That made her happy.

Sort of like now, she thought, sitting between him and this new girlfriend, babbling about her ant farm. She's different, Emily thought...I like this one...

Tommy rummaged thru the pantry, grabbing the syrup bottle, as Abel walked past, into the family room.

"Mom, where's your laptop? I need to get something for school."

Both his parents were in the middle of something, he thought, but couldn't read what exactly they were arguing about.

" For school?" this from Jax. Was he being sarcastic?

" Yea, there's some audio books on line, and I want two of em for my English Lit. I've already got the app on my phone, but ..." Abel shrugged, knowing they'd need no further explanation.

Tara watched her husband's expression of disbelief to surprise. She'd been trying to convince him of what was going on for the past half hour, and was relieved their son finally proved her point. Now she was trying not to smirk.

"Here, and don't screw with anything else on it...and NO MESSAGING , or I'll take your phone away altogether !" Abel accepted Tara's laptop, wondering why she thought this was funny. And dad was pissed, but what the fuk was that about? Then he remembered the lawn.

" I need to order mandrels for the mower, Dad. I can still run it, but they're real noisy, and the belt jumped a couple times already."

He stopped halfway into the kitchen, noticing Tommy, as he squirted Mrs Butterworth into his open mouth.

" Let's look for those when your online then..did you finish the mini van? " Jax asked, relieved he wasn't gonna have to confront Abel over that.

" The rotors need to be turned, and I wanna replace the front wheel bearings, but yea, it's done...can you ride with me when I test it?"

Jax glanced at Tara, trying to ignore her smirk. " Yea, we'll be out there in a little bit."

Abel walked quickly out with the laptop, but couldn't resist giving his brother a quick shove.

Caught in mid squeeze, the syrup shot over Tommy's face, hair and the kitchen floor.

" What the FUK, you common dik licker!" He sputtered angrily. He tried to throw the bottle , but Abel jumped out of the way, laughing.


	4. Chapter 4

Skillet poured five large coffees , after packing a dozen sandwiches, her home made potato salad, and brownies into their cooler, as Jax returned with a bucket of ice.

" You gonna let the boy drive all the way?" She asked, watching Abel check under the mini vans hood. Megan sat in the passenger seat, looking into her phone.

Tara returned from the restroom, as Emily tagged along, a sleepy look in her eyes. It was too early to be excited about the beach, and too early to even be at the diner.

" The boys need a long ride..." Tara grinned, " and I need a break !" She noticed Opie squatting by his bike, making some last minute adjustment.

Jax dumped the last of the ice in the cooler.

" Try and keep things together for us while we're gone, ok ? Ryan's gonna have the boys up on Morningside Hill right of way..."

Skillet nodded. "You'ns go have a good time, l'll kick some ass if they need it!"

Abel could not have been more content and focused as he guided the minivan past The Flying J Truckstop, onto interstate 70.

" This is the boring part " he grinned at Megan.

He still couldn't believe she'd never been to the beach. This trip was an annual summer activity ever since he could remember.

" Who you talking to ?" he wondered.

Megan looked up from her phone, a slightly exasperated expression he'd seen before.

" Mom...she's been blowing up my phone since we left..."

Even then, Abel found it difficult to look away from her, but managed to keep his attention to the motorcycles in front.

" Yea , mom does that too...n Dad "

Jax kept the mini van in sight as he rolled on the throttle. This would be the first long distance trip on his bike since ...well, since they first moved to Bloody Run .

Glancing at Opie, who gunned his Dyna forward with a huge grin, Jax did the same. He didn't realize till now, how badly they both missed being on the road. The only inconvenience they would encounter would be the helmet laws in Maryland.

Making sure the mini van kept up, he remembered the decision to bring Megan along.

At first, Abel flatly refused to go. He was still grounded as a result of the drunken free for all at the mall, and being picked up by the sheriff.

That's when Megan showed up a few days afterwards at the house, with a clear explanation of the mall incident. While Jax was still certain she was just another in his harem of ratchets, it was Tara who managed to prove to him otherwise. It was almost like seeing himself with Tara at that age. Not to mention the glaring change in his sons general attitude.

Even so, Jax , along with Tara, remained firm with his punishment. He wasn't able to leave home. Period.

This resulted in a near confrontation between father and son. When Megan let it be known she'd never been further than Breezewood, Tara relented, suggesting Megan come along.

" Then he's gonna have to contribute to the whole week, Babe. I'm all for her coming along, but I'm not gonna let things slide and make it easy for him. And he's gonna have to pay her way!" Jax refused to let Abel off the hook.


	5. Chapter 5

" You were right, it was boring !" Megan smiled at Abel, who nodded. He was concentrating on the traffic, now that the minivan was nearing route 50. Opie and Jax were now separate, with Jax in front, and Opie behind, creating a cushion of safety between their families, and the increasing amount vehicles.

"Yea, I usually sleep thru most of it, " he grinned.

Tara and Donna were busy keeping their little sister occupied with Auto Bingo, while Tommy seemed oblivious to everyone, as he focused on his sketch book, and his phone. While he wasn't sure about what it meant to be serious about any girl, Zenith caught his attention late last spring with her own artwork, and writing. He was hoping to stay home the whole week and that idea fell on deaf ears, with his mom laughing at the suggestion, and his Dad simply brushing it aside.

" What's the hold up ?" Tommy called out from the back...he was beginning to feel impatient.

" It's a whole new mindset, once we start crossing the bridge, " Abel was trying to explain. " an it's a little embarrassing too !"

Megan gave him a puzzled look, as traffic began to move.

" Where's the thermos ?" Tara wondered.

" Got it ! " Donna answered, producing two very elaborate Martini glasses with it.

"Mom, com' on Megan is gonna think we're stupid or something..." Abel was torn between participating or sinking into the driver's seat.

The toll booths were in sight.

" Shut up and drive, son...it's part of your being grounded!" Tara rebuked him, as she unscrewed the cap. Donna held the glasses while she poured, as Megan watched .

"What is that?"

" The beginning of I don't give a flying fuk for a week !" Tara announced, with a " Hell yeah !" from Donna.

Emily was getting excited too, as Tommy leaned over the seat. " Can we open it now?"

" Yo, Driver ! Open the damn sun roof ! "

Abel began to feel his skin turn beet red with his mom barking that at him, but he complied, and with a sigh began to open his window too.

They were closing in on the toll plaza, with Opie and Jax leading them.

" Ya gotta open yours too..." He grinned at the beautiful girl next to him. His embarrassed feeling began to fade rapidly, as he fiddled with the radio controls. " Blue tooth is ready !"

Inez Holt reached from her perch in the toll booth, as Jax handed her the cash.

" That's for these two bikes..." He had to yell above the noise that echoed around him, " and that minivan!"

Counting out the cash, she handed him back the extra bill, letting her eyes roam over the bikers frame. A silver fox, Inez thought, with a smile, and suddenly Jax winked back at her.

Both bikes slowly rumbled away, the minivan behind them. That's when Tara , along with Donna waved back, as they popped up thru the sun roof, the Doobie Brothers blasting from inside.

" The highway patrol got his eyes on me

I know what he's thinkin' and it ain't good

I'm movin' so fast he can barely see me

Gonna lose that man, i know i should

I gotta kick in my pedal

Make my ford move a little bit faster

Can't stop, and i can't stop

Got to keep on movin' or i'll lose my mind"

Even above the wind , Opie could hear, and he glanced in his mirror, then towards to Jax.

With a grin, they both shook their heads at each other, letting the salt air take over. This was a long overdo trip on his ride...

No longer feeling self conscious, Abel began to yell along with everyone inside the van, catching Megans smile...why did he feel like this, he wondered...


	6. Chapter 6

Megan glanced towards Abel, as he made the left turn.

" I'm fukin starved !" He grumbled. " Thoses sandwiches didn't do it for me!"

" What , you had two of them, and two brownies, plus that shake back at the ice cream place...!" Megan laughed.

" It's called the Tasteless Freeze " he grinned back. " ...n hell no, im still hungry!"

She was seeing a new and sort of relaxed side of Abel , and enjoyed watching him concentrate as he drove, his tattered ball cap turned backwards, and TAC shades.

" Make the left past the firehouse.." his mom reminded him, as he followed Opies motorcycle.

Traffic disappeared as they drove up two blocks of a tree lined street, to a yellow house with a large screened in porch, and a woman waving at them.

" Oh, she's here !" Emily announced happily.

" Who is that?" Megan asked. The woman was tall, elegantly dressed, and had the biggest boobs she had ever seen in her life. GLAMAZON was the first word that came to her mind. She also looked very strong and...well... capable !

Venus couldn't resist hugging Opie first .

" Ooohhh how's my big ole Sugar Bear doin?" she gushed, as he tried to keep his distance, giving her a half hearted pat on the back.

Megan stared wide eyed at the woman's breasts, and then wondered why Abel and Tommy were trying not to laugh, as they got out of the mini van.

" Great to see you too, Venus..." He grudgingly replied.

Jax , on the other hand returned her hugs with a quick peck to the neck.

" Hey there pretty woman, how's everything back home ?"

" I've got some news to share later y'all, but first I wanna get everyone settled...where's my sweet little baby girl?" She saw Emily hop out and start towards her.

" Who is she ?" Megan whispered to Tommy, who was watching. " I've never seen a woman that ... strong looking..."

He snickered as Abel explained.

" She's an old friend from California, when we were little. Used t be a guy, but he's a she now."

" Queen Kong ..." Tommy half whispered.

" Dude, shut the hell up...she had to wipe your sorry ass back when mom n dad weren't around...!" Abel quietly growled back .

" Pencil dik !" He added, giving his younger brother a quick shove backwards.

Venus finished hugging Emily when she noticed Megan.

" Now what have we here? Who is this sweet thang ? And why is your first born looking so ..so... full of smiles?" She walked slowly towards Abel and Megan, as they both began to feel very awkward.

" Venus, this is Megan... she's in some of my classes.."

" What a charming young woman you are, Megan... welcome to the family. I hope this young man has been his most gallant and polite towards you... otherwise, I'll have to beat his ass..!"

Megan suppressed a giggle, but shook her hand. " He has...but I'll let you know if I need help !"

Venus raised an eyebrow, but smiled. Then she looked at Abel, who had the stupidest grin she had ever seen.

" You watch yourself , son, or this one will fuk you up ! "

Jax paused on inside the screen porch.

" She already has...!"

He laid back in the water, eyes half closed, watching smoke curl up from the blunt. After an almost five hour ride to the Eastern shore on his bike, Jax felt drained , as his back and shoulders ached with dull throbbing pain. Neither he or Opie had been on a ride this far for sometime...

His attention was diverted as Tara quietly opened the door.

" I wondered where you went.."

He noticed she only wore an old tee shirt of his, as she sat on the edge of the oversized tub.

" You look hot when you're all wet like this " , she smirked gently touching his shoulders. He relaxed a bit more and tilted his head forward.

" Where is everyone?" He asked, hoping for some peace n quiet.

" Abel n Megan took Emily to the boardwalk, Tommy's on his phone , and I think Opie n Donna fell asleep in their room...why?"

She took the blunt and turned to face him.

" How much did you bring ?"

"Enough for us to relax..." Jax smiled, as Tara took a deep hit ...the weed was from the Club, called Red Road, some hybrid stuff. Opie kept a plentiful supply on hand courtesy of Venus...Her crush on Opie was what kept everyone buzzed ..

" What do you wanna do tomorrow?" Tara breathed out smoke. " This seems different already, from last year."

" They're growing up...you were right about Megan...he needed her.." Jax was thoughtful. The last vacation was spent mostly dealing with the boys at each other's throats, and Emily getting sick. This 180° change was also noticed by Opie and Donna.

Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around around her waist and easily slid her into the water, with a splash, landing her just on to his groin.


	7. Chapter 7

" Lacrosse an Baseball...I was pretty good in Lacrosse, but I like baseball..."

" Weren't you also on the track team ?" Megan asked. She remembered watching him in ninth grade, as he gracefully sailed over the jumps...

"I tried it, but " ...he looked thoughtful a moment or two..." Mom n Dad said I needed more time to study n shit, so I dropped it.."

He crammed some more fries in his mouth, unable to keep from watching as she licked her ice cream cone.

Tommy returned with some toffee corn, and Emily, as she carried a stick of cotton candy. It was almost bigger then her head, Abel thought.

All four were sitting on a bench that faced towards Dolly's Taffy Kitchen on the boardwalk.

" I'm trying out for track this spring, but our coach says I should do Lacrosse too. He remembers you...but he's kinda strange...!"

" Strange ? What's he do? I thought Mr Zaraw taught metal n wood shop."

Abel started t grin. " Does he still say weird shit?"

" Yea , when he sends us to the locker room, he yells ..' Hope for your souls, and soap for your holes !" Tommy yelled out. People turned and stared, as his brother and Megan burst out laughing. "

The arcade wasn't overly crowded, so Abel watched Emily play Skee Ball.

" She'll play that all day if you let her " he grinned.

Megan finished her ice cream cone.

" You guys are lucky to have both you mom and dad together...it's not easy living with just my mom." She had a few memories of her dad, but not many.

" He was killed in action, right ?"

" Yeah, in Afghanistan. I was only four years old when it happened."

" Isn't your mom going out with Ryan? He's one of Opie's foremen."

Megan was taken by surprise. " Seriously? She doesn't go out with anyone...she never said shit to me about it!" But I'm gonna find out when I get home , she thought. Secrets like this weren't ok...

Abel laughed at her reaction.

" Wat the fuk? He talks about her all the time, I think it's awesome!"

" She shoulda said something to me anyway, she's my mom. It's not like it won't affect me if they hook up n get married. Jeezis, Abel, your mom an dad wouldn't keep u in the dark about shit like that...I mean if they'd ever split up!"

Megan saw his expression suddenly darken.

" What...what's wrong ?"

It took him a moment to answer.

" They would too...an they did..."

" What the hell are you talking about ? Are they splitting up?" She saw some tense moments between Jax n Tara , but they were usually arguing about Abel. Was that it?

His eyes met hers, but there wasn't any light in them...and he looked very sad.

" Mom...or I guess Tara...isn't my birth mother..."

It took a moment or two for this to sink in.

" Who told you that?"

" Mom n Dad...when I turned 16 last year, they sat down with me and told me. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around it."

His expression began to lighten again, as he looks into her eyes. " My real mom lives out in California."

" So...why did she stay away all this time?"

Emily's shrieks of delight distracted them as the Skee Ball machine announced her high score.

" Dad said she had a pretty bad drug problem when I was born an after that. So everyone decided I'd be better off with Dad. Then after he n Mom got married, they had Tommy...n then we moved here...he said I was about six at the time."

" Did you get to meet her ?" Megan was feeling morbidly curious.

He smiled, sort of to himself, she thought, as he explained further.

" Yea, she had me fly out there for a couple weeks after that. I got a step dad, step brother n step sister...their about as old as Em..."

He paused. " I was remembering how strange it was meeting them. If she kept them, why couldn't she have kept me ?"

Megan remembered her mom's battle with alcohol, and her own experience with a local ala teen group. As her mom progressed in recovery, she went to fewer meetings.

" Her priority wasn't you . It was her addiction.

So it was probably a good thing your dad stepped up. "

" I spose so..." He trailed off. " It's still kinda fukt up she waited so long to meet me..n strange dad never said anything till then too."

" Who else knows? Does your brother-?"

" Yea he knows..." Abel shook his head, remembering when Tommy called him a crack baby in the middle of an argument. It was a mistake he knew not to repeat again after a bloody beat down Abel gave him.


	8. Chapter 8

Emily darted past them, with Tommy in hot pursuit, handing his phone to Megan.

"Ok, she's goin..." he announced, and took off , quickly disappearing through the crowds on the boardwalk.

" Shit...! Here, hold all this, n follow me !" Abel shoved his brothers phone, along with his own, and his wallet at her. " Don't ask, just hurry the fuk up, n you'll see ... keep up with me !"

Megan stumbled at first, wondering what the hell was going on, but managed to keep pace with Abel, as they dodged around people, spilling toffee popcorn everywhere.

Emily was already on the beach, with her other brother close behind, squealing with laughter, as Abel , along with Megan skipped the steps, and jumped off the boardwalk, without stumbling. From there, she watched as brother and sister plunged into the surf, fully clothed.

Abel quickly followed.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaa !"

Catching up with Tommy, he raised both arms triumphantly, as Emily splashed water at him.

Megan ventured into the water, and watched Abel, Tommy, and Emily energetically splash each other. This must be some kind of vacation ritual, she thought, and as the water rushed past her, back towards the ocean, she wasn't sure of her feet were moving or not. It was very confusing.

" You wanna come out further?" Abel waded towards her, his shorts practically falling off after a wave smashed him from behind.

" Am I moving when the water goes out ? It's really strange.." she paused. " If I was high, it would be interesting! " She laughed.

" Yeah, it is...I like to watch the sunrise alot, an when I was doing that last year I was so baked, my legs were buried almost to my knees!" He grinned back. " Here, walk with me...I got your back..."

His hand gently touched her lower back, and she suddenly wished she had worn a thicker shirt.

" Once you get past the breakers, it's pretty awesome"

Another wave drenched her, but she followed his example by leaning into them sideways.

" Oh my God, the water tastes horrible !" She spluttered, "I could almost barf!"

" I keep some pop with me, its almost like mouth wash...gets rid of the taste quick, when I get out of the water ... we're almost past the breakers..come on.." he gently coaxed with his hand on her lower back. The t shirt she was wearing filled with air, and floated just above the water, leaving bare skin..


	9. Chapter 9

" Pick four..." Opie was looking at Tommy, "..an I'm changing to red."

" Sonofabitch! " Tommy muttered, counting them off the deck. " Nothing red here.." he looked towards his Mom, who dropped a card, then to his Dad.

" Reverse, still red."

" Four more , sweetheart " Tara felt guilty, but still found this funny...

" Mommmm..." He picked up four more cards.

" You loose a turn, Sasquatch!" Tommy grinned at Opie.

Emily was seeing her opportunity, as Megan nodded in agreement. " Reverse "

Opie dropped another 'pick four'

" You gonna learn, son.." he deadpanned ..

The first noticable difference was the absence of mosquitoes. Abel sat by himself in the back yard of the summer beach cottage, listening to the hum of air conditioner units, and the faint sounds of the boardwalk. He wasn't feeling up to playing UNO , and chose to get quietly baked by himself and think. He focused on the water tower a block or so away, illuminated by lights at the firehouse. If he wasn't staring at that, his mind shifted back to Megan. Today was the first chance he experienced some sort of intimacy, but that was only because they were next to each other in the water, floating over the swells. He still felt her hands gently touching his bare back as she occasionally drifted closer, but those were fleeting moments.

"May I get a hit ?" Her voice startled him.

Megan smiled as she gently stroked his neck.

" Looks like some good shit " she added, noticing his home made pipe. " Nice pipe!"

" Thanks ," he replied, still feeling the sweet chills from his neck to his groin. " It's actually my Dad's, but he hasn't found it yet !" It was made out of old copper and compression fittings...

Abel dropped some kush into the bowl and passed it to her, and watched as she took a few hits .

" Yep...good shit !" She coughed, then smiled back. " Where'd you get it ?"

" Skeeter...he had all kinds, but I think I like our own home grown ."

" He's still on probation, right? You grow it at your place?"

Abel laughed at that. " I had some out by mom's garden last year, an I think she found it, so.."

His face began to feel tight, as the weed began to hit him.

" You go out with Danny Bollwan , right ? He still with RJ n his band?" He knew both guys and respected their attempts at heavy metal...

Megan seemed at a loss momentarily.

" Sort of..." She nervously scrolled through her phone. " He's so into his drums, and the band, then he's telling me he's wanting to work out at the gym after school...I never see much of em anymore.."

If Abel seemed relieved to hear that, she didn't see it.

" He's an ok dude, I guess...but if he's got other priorities, he should man up n say something to you...all he talked about when we was hunting was the band..." Abel wasn't specifically aware of Megan then. Females were always making themselves available, so he used them accordingly. But Megan was different...

Back inside, Tommy gave in, and checked his phone. An attachment from zenith got his attention, and he was suddenly watching someone familiar , a woman, dancing by herself on top of a car. Was it their next door neighbor?


	10. Chapter 10

"Looks like our neighbor had a meltdown today.." Jax crawled under the covers, and snuggled close. In spite of the mid eighty degrees outside, Tara kept the room temp close to sixty eight, so there was plenty opportunity to keep warm at night.

" Is that the latest drama?"

" Yea, but this time she's pretty messed up. They found a video of her dancing on someone's truck outside of Skillet's. Didn't have anything on either..."

Tara felt sad for their neighbor, but the moment passed. Remembering constant accusations of the boys, the confrontations, and other drug fueled lunacy, she hoped this would be a chance for her to find the help she seemed to desperately need.

Jax reached his hand around, but she gently pushed it away.

"What...? " He seemed to plead, but she could hear the smile ...

Outside , Megan was silent, as they viewed more clips of their neighbor, who hopped from car to car, in an idiotic trance.

Abel and Tommy would have found this amusing, but the fact she was totally nude , seemed to make this episode different.

" Look, there's Ryan..." Tommy pointed out, in a group of others trying to get the woman's attention, with little success. Abel recognized a few , but he felt they were more onlookers, like people who slowed down at the scene of an accident. Noticing Megan's expression, he handed the phone back to his brother.

" That's sad, I don't wanna see anymore !"

" Does she know she's doing that?" Tommy asked.

" No...she's probably tweaked outta her head..." Megan finally spoke, with a sigh. " She and my mom were good friends, till mom got clean...I've seen her like that before..."

"Seriously?"

" Yea, they were good friends, when she was using."

Megan didn't like remembering the insanity, and fear. The men she brought over with her made it worse, and a couple of them worked for Opie.

Abel noticed her discomfort. " Let's go for a walk, I wanna go see if that guy from last year is still working at the tattoo place...come on..." He stood up, stretching, and discreetly shook his head at Tommy. " Just us..." It said, and his brother understood.

Gratefully, Megan took his hand, enjoying this. She still worried about her mother, but the meetings helped her understand what she could about addiction. She was also still getting aquatinted with the small resort town, and the beach.

"I love the smells, there's so many at the same time!"

" I used to think the same thing, but nowadays, it's the water...n maybe the board walk, but sometimes all I can think of is toffee corn and french fries..." He grinned back , feeling self conscious, but safe...it was very confusing. " I got separated from Mom one time when we first came here, but they found me at the arcade, watching the guys at the boxing machine!"

They were up on the boardwalk where the crowds were getting close.

"What's that?" Megan had no idea what that was.

"I'll show ya, it's right up there " he pointed to the arcade ahead. A small crowd of guys were cheering and heckling someone, as bells went off on the display.

" The goal is to punch the thing, and it registers your strength..it took me a few years to figure out exactly how to hit it to win, it's hard to describe tho... basically, it's how hard n quick you are..." He grinned, thinking about sex...damn, he thought, the last thing I wanna be is too quick he thought, feeling a momentary chill, then relaxing. " You mind if I show you ?"

Megan shrugged, slightly amused, as one of the men shouted at their arrival.

" Yo, dudes, it's Bloody Runs Champion, returned for a rematch - you gonna try to break last year's score?"

Abel dug into his empty pocket, and wallet. Both were empty, and Megan passed a couple singles to him, her smile making him hot and cold at the same time.

" Yea, his old lady's here t help him out...dude, shes kinda hot.." the Barker winked at her, as a few others whistled, and shouted.

"Get the fuk back, dude, she's with me " she watched his expression harden somewhat, but he turned back towards her n winked. She hadn't realized how far goosebumps could extend over her entire body till just now.

The dollar bills quickly disappeared in the slot, followed by blinking lights.

"Ok, stand back, let's give em room " the Barker motioned his arms, and the small crowd formed a wide circle, as Abel stood by, warming up.

Things got quiet as he pressed a button on the machine, and the punching bag attached to it's arm lowered ...Abel crouched slightly, seemingly tensed, wound back , and fired. With a resounding slam, Megan watched the arm jerk upwards , the counter flashing numbers...

336, 401, 487, and upwards, untill the display stopped at 765...everyone nodded quiet approval, but Abel wasn't satisfied, and pressed the button again. The arm lowered, and he paused, twisting his upper body back and around to limber up...

" Come on, Bloody Run, show us what you got..."

"Yo, is she legal? I wanna ask her out...!" Megan felt her face turn red, as Abel turned towards the voice, and answered...

"Yo, go back under your rock , ya fukin pedo !",

He swung again, with a resounding thud, the machine amplifying it's sound.

This time, the display stopped at 841...

A few jeers came from the crowd, some encouraging, a few taunts...Abel, was feeling cornered, coming close but not beating the high score flashing below his, which was 922.

" Come on, you got this , kid! "

" You can do it buddy!"

"Quit bein a pussy an punch it already!"

He glanced ad Megan, feeling cold, but then she winked back at him...

" Go ahead, punk, go for it, don't wimp out in front of her...!"

"Yo, I'm gonna ask her older sister and her mom out, bet she needs some..!"

Abel looked towards the voice, saw an for a half second stared into his eyes...crouched, leaned back and punched...a jolt of energy exploded from his very core onto it's target, as the machine wobbled and shook.

Numbers quickly flashed, 423, 557, 675, 741, 835,856,891, 899,916,926,931,933,934...

The crowd cheered as some slapped his shoulder, but all he cared was getting next to her, and glancing quickly around, the voice guy had disappeared.

"Hey! That was awesome!" She hugged him close, and felt him trembling . " Are you ok?"

He gently slipped his arm around the small of her back, and buried his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.

"Yea, I'm fine..." She heard him respond, slightly muffled as he pulled her close.


	11. Chapter 11

A couple blocks past the bandstand, the crowd thinned, and they made a right onto Brooklyn avenue. Dimly lit, there were smells of beer, cigarette smoke, and occasionally weed, as they passed a few bars, where motorcycles lined up diagonally and close together. It reminded Megan of the Pioneer House, just outside of Bloody Run, where her mom picked up a few bikers when she was drunk. She pulled him close.

" It's ok, they don't bother anyone.." Abel reassured her, enjoying the soft warmth against him. "Here it is..."

They stopped in front of a small window that blinked " ragon Zink " , the letter D completely dark.

Inside the small shop was a single chair, and the artist paused working on his client.

" Yo, Teller, sup ?"

"Hey, Walter..."

Megan nodded to the artist, as he paused , the client, glancing up briefly, then returning attention to his phone.

" You here to collect your pay?"

" Yea, I think I know what I want, but I'm gonna look around some...can you do it , like this Saturday? Late ? "

" Anytime you want , I'll work you in..."

" Why's he paying you? " Megan whispered , a little confused.

" The man saved my ass last summer, and a fair amount of cash too!" Walter looked up with a grin. He must be close to a hundred years old, she thought, his gray hair in a huge braid down his back. Posters advertising The Doors, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix caught her attention, along with a few others, and some poster prints outlined in pink and orange dayglow paint.

Abel's face turned red. " I got his mini van running, and did some other things to it...it's a piece of crap like my mom's...!" , he answered under his breath. " How's it running?"

" Great, my friend..I'd be obliged if you gave it a once over before you go back to Pennsylvania.."

"Sure, I can check it out anytime before Saturday..."

They both leafed thru a sample book, and were checking out some of Walters more intricate work on the walls when Abel found what he wanted.

" That's pretty, I like that.." she admitted, visions of Abel sailing over trac jumps during gymclass. Sinewy and lith , it reminded her of his graceful strength. The Cheetah fit him perfectly.

" Is this a stencil, or can you do it freehand?" He asked, holding it up.

" Either way is good, but one is quicker to do.." the artist replied , finishing up his customer.

He quickly looked questioningly at her, and Megan nodded a quick yes.

" Awesome, I'll check back in later this week- where's the van? "

" It's outback, lemme know when you wanna work on it- you want to do it here?"

" Wherever, dude-" they were headed out the door already.

Back on the boardwalk, hands in his pockets, Abel walked close to her, looking towards the water. " Let's walk on the beach.." he suggested, but she was concentrating on her phone.

" I'm going for a run tomorrow morning, n watch the sunrise.. what's that?"

" I gotta sit for a little bit" she replied, just short of laughter. "You gotta hear some a this shit!"

she grinned, pointing towards one of those large white benches that faced the ocean.

They listened intensely, one bud in Abel's ear, the other in Megan's...

Googling some of the bands advertising in Walters shop, Megan sampled some You-Tube clips.

" In a godda da vida honey

Don't you know that I'm loving you

In a godda da vida baby

Don't you know that always be true..."

The video , colorful and flowing , was too small to garner any appreciation , from neither one.

" What the fuk is that?" Abel watched a bubble of green spread out into yellow and orange.

" Be quiet, I wanna hear the rest.." she shushed him, as a drum solo ended.

" Sounds like a funeral...on acid.." Abel said.

" I kinda like it, I wonder if Danny knows about this one" she wondered. Her ex boyfriend/ drummer was a nerd when it came to metal- ..."maybe this representation was the beginning of Metal..?"

" Meh... I'll listen to Slipknot, or Five Finger Death punch...or Cactus Vag , or Skidmark..."

he replied. This Iron Butterfly sounded ...well, kinda silly. Listening to Death Punch felt like someone pulling something from the deepest part of his gut...he liked that rush of energy..

They tried Jimmy Hendrix , but Megan found it too noisy.

Abel failed to understand Janis Joplin, as " ...she fukin yells everything..!"

The Doors caught Megan's attention, as some modern poetry did, but the music seemed kinda childish.

Both enjoyed the Grateful Dead though...

"I remember something Opie said about Deadheads, I think he n Dad listen to these guys." He grinned at her . " Remy would like that.. deadheads.." he laughed.

" You know Remy? " Megan was surprised.

" The gay dude ? Yea he's ok, he tried to get me into that play last year, a knight of some shit. Then he hit on me" he grinned , noticing a couple of young women looking their way.

She leaned closer. " He's probably the only friend I trust, what did he do?" She giggled.

" He was showing me some stuff behind the stage an he ..." Abel was feeling uncomfortable, but what the fuk, " he kissed me...right on the lips !"

"Oh my God, did he -"

" Yea , he did...and all I could think of to say was- DUDE, I'm not wired that way...n his eyes kinda turned to water.." Abel paused. "...I guess he thought I was gonna kick his ass, cause he ran off like he was scared shitless. And after the play later that month, I finally caught up with him...n said we could be friends n shit, but I wasn't down with the gay stuff.. I haven't seen him much this year tho..."

Her expression puzzled him. "What...?"

" I'm not supposed to say anything, so promise me...?"

" Yea, fine, I promise..." He was getting impatient. " Is he ok?"

" He's found someone...at our school..and no one else knows...I don't think he could even come out too, it would really fuk some shit up!"

Abel was completely lost. Remy was pretty obvious, so ..." Who ?"

" John Dixon."

" Holy shit, the Lacrosse team Captain?"

She nodded, and he was dumbfounded.

" Damn that's...that's..." he couldn't find anything to say. John was such a fuking jock...

" Well, they got each other... they're pretty lucky then, cause no one knows."

" Yea , Remy's really happy. I met em both at the Boo Boo Burger in Potlicker Flats. I don't think John's ready to come out till after graduation tho." She looked at the girls eating cotton candy close by, then leaned forward, and gently kissed Abel on the lips.

" Was it like that?" She asked.

If he was startled, it didn't show.

" Naw...he kisses like a dude...like this..." His smile was nothing like she'd ever seen, and they kissed again, hesitant at first, and then softly tasting each other for the first time.

Pulling back, she couldn't stop the hammering inside her chest.

Abel couldn't stop looking at her.

" And I'm not wired that way..." He laughed softly, gently touching her neck. I'm so fuked he thought...


End file.
